Senator John Williams’ recent Parkinson’s diagnosis might have a silver lining for the thousands of other sufferers of neurological diseases in NSW.
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Two weeks ago at the NSW Nationals Conference in Broken Hill, an urgent motion was unanimously voted through that could see the installation of several Specialist Neurological Nurses (SNN) across regional NSW.
“The motion was put forward by Bathurst MP Paul Toole, and it was for the establishment of neurological nurses in regional NSW – half funded by the State Government and half by Federal,” Mr Williams said.
“At the moment there is only three, in Coffs Harbour, Nowra and Wagga, and they are already far too over-loaded.
“The nurse will also service people with Multiple Sclerosis and that awful Motor Neuron Disease. It is a great service that helps out people that need help, it would also ease pressure on the local health care system, and GP’s, who, lets’s face it, are already overloaded.”
The senator believes that there is a real need for a full-time SNN in both Tamworth and Armidale, with the idea of having at least ten more to service the entire state.
At $150,000 a year per nurse, there are two hurdles facing the movement.
“We need to find the money at both levels, and then we need to find the nurses,” Mr Williams said.
“It is estimated by 2030 that Australia will be short 109,000 nurses. I have been going around schools telling kids to look at a career in nursing because they will never be unemployed. We need to bottle nurses blood because they are very special people.”
There is another upside to having the motion passed.
“Now that it is policy if the government does not take that policy up the leaders, Barnaby Joyce and John Barilaro, have to explain to the party why it was not put in place,” Mr Williams said.
“Once the new National Rural Health Commissioner is appointed, whose role will be to go out and give frank assessments of services in the bush, I will be taking the matter up with them as well.”
While it has taken a senator suffering from the disease to truly get the ball rolling, it is all music to the ears of the newly-formed local action group, chaired by fellow sufferer John Crosby.
“It is very much a positive move and we can only hope something comes from it,” Mr Crosby said.
Meanwhile, the illness has so far failed to slow down the long serving senator.
“I am going really well – I am on minimum medication and I haven’t deteriorated at all,” Mr Williams said.
